[SIZE=3]As usual, my kenmore just went out of warranty so now it is up to me to fix the ice dispenser. The unit is a side by side with the dispenser in the door. The water dispenser works. The ice maker works as well but when one depresses the ice dispenser lever, nothing happens. I first noticed it and tapped the lever a few times and the motor kicked in but now nothing happens when you depress the lever. I figure it is either the lever switch or the dispenser motor. I am looking for help in isolating what needs to be repaired. I already have the motor out of the door but it is a DC motor so not sure how to test it. I appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed. Thanks in advance.[/SIZE]
You could use a 12 volt car battery or charger to put DC to it. Since moving the switch worked once, it’s probably the switch.
Good idea on the car battery. Unfortunately, the motor is 120volts DC, it uses a rectified AC current. I agree that it sure seems like the switch. I think I will pull it and test it for continuity.
As I started to take the dispenser apart I noticed that the hinge holding the despenser door in place was broken. Thus the door was sliding off the hinge rather than pivoting. As a result, the door could not activate the switch properly. The switch and motor were in working order. The hinge is plastic so I used some super glue to resecure the hinge and it appears to be working well. Now all I have to do is make sure people don’t push down on the ice despenser so hard that they break the hinge again. Thanks for the help.